Water's Flow
by Sorceress of Shadows
Summary: She created a being, thoughtlessly, and guilt haunts her every move. But what is left but to pick up the pieces and attempt to repair that which you break? On semi-hiatus.
1. Prologue: Shadow

**A/N: This is crack. And one of my many Dark Link headcanons, because actually, I support them all. And because I must say it, FIRSTIES ON NAYLARK! I STARTED THIS PAIRING. Nyah-nyah!**

**Title has nothing to do with anything except Nayru's element being water (I forget if that's ever actually stated…you know what? It is) and Dark Link's being in the Water Temple. I R genius, no?**

**Disclaimer: I shall only say this once—I do not own The Legend of Zelda in any way, shape, or form.**

** o0o**

** Water's Flow**

** Prologue: Shadow**

I came up with the plan, Din prepared the prison, and Farore forcibly removed it from the Hero's soul.

"It" was, quite simply, the part of the Hero's mind that he wished to hide from the world, the part of him that surfaced when he fought monsters and spattered his face and tunic with their blood. It was his rage, his grief, his frustration; it was every part of him that was not bright and beautiful; it was all that was not flooded with light. It needed to be removed.

You know what happened after that. My creation broke him.

But you must understand, I did not intend for this to be so. You know that I see far into the future. I saw not only the quest to save Hyrule, but also a repetitious cycle of time which, unless we were to siphon any and all negativity out of him, would drive him to madness. The darkness was created to save him. Pin not all the blame upon us.

o0o

The darkness did not come quietly, as we had anticipated. Instead, as Farore tried to separate it from the Hero, it struggled and fought like the demon we believed it to be, unwilling to part with the light that made it whole.

We fought for three years with that shade of a person, in a great clash, until Din, with a short, forceful, "_ENOUGH!_" used every ounce of power in her to force the shadow into her prison.

Tongues of fire shot out of every pore of her body, ensnaring the thing in an unbreakable bond, and, with her typical fierce carelessness, dragged it away to her prison.

I pitied it. I pity it still. It seems that the wounds we inflicted upon it never quite healed.

o0o

Din's prison was flawed, as things of her creation tended to—only when she had a true interest in what she did was she ever careful.

Thus why Ganondorf was able to infiltrate our holy realm and take the specter from our grasp.

Having done so, he took this shadow and, over the course of four years, molded it into—_such mockery! Such arrogance! Such brutal irony!—_into the Hero's form. He gave it—no, now it was a he—life and purpose, the latter being to kill his lighter half.

Shall I lie to you? Shall I tell you that I was not curious about that battle? Shall I say that I regret making what would become known as Dark Link?

Or shall I tell you a grand tale of how the waters flow?


	2. Chapter 1: Begin

**A/N: I did not keep you waiting for who-knows-how-long. XD Nope.**

**Reviewers:**

**Aedrex: I haven't seen it either, and I'm glad you find it interesting. :p**

**G01den W01f 11: Not stupid, eh? We'll see about that one. And Link's spirit maturing? Hadn't actually thought about it…t'would appear I've made an unintentional writing…thingy…'cause I wasn't thinking about it. At all.**

**NekoKitty13: Well, now you'll know! :3**

** o0o**

** Water's Flow**

** Chapter 1: Begin**

Where to begin…well, I would suppose that it began with the war.

For I knew exactly what Ganondorf would do with the being known as Dark Link, and, to use a commonly-said phrase of the latter, I'd be _damned _if I was about to allow that to happen.

So it was that I began my crusade, beginning with the shadow himself.

o0o

Perhaps appearing in a bright flash of light before the shadow was not the best of plans.

Dark Link flinched visibly, throwing his arms up as if to protect himself from a blow. "Din damn it!" As the glow receded, he squinted to get a better view. Once he had affirmed my presence, a cocky grin wormed its way across his face. In a husky voice, he chuckled, "Well, well, well. If it isn't the Goddess of Wisdom herself, come to pay little old me a visit. To what do I own this pleasure, hm?"

"Dark Link," I replied, weighing my words carefully, "surely you know why I have come?"

The specter smirked. "And why wouldn't I? You came to win me back." Perceptive. "Unfortunately," he continued, "I'm not interested in siding with you. You'll find that I care little for any one of you damned gods, or your hero."

I fought to retain my composure. How dare he?! The nerve of him…

"Dark Link, you know not of the consequences. I implore you, please return to your makers."

"My makers?" the shade spat, then laughed derisively. "You think that way? For a goddess supposed to embody wisdom, you're not smart at all."

"You…" I narrowed my eyes.

Dark Link stood up from his position on the bed, his form flickering in the dimness of the room. "Don't act like you don't know what you did. And don't even pretend to think that I don't either."

"Dark Link, I…" I frowned. "You must know that I never intended to harm you…"

The silhouette of the hero crossed his arms. "Well, you did. Now leave my sight, before I make you."

I scowled, losing my neutral expression, then disappeared.

This was by no means over.

o0o

**A/N: Characters…you give 'em an inch, they take it three miles.**

***Begs for reviews, 'cause that's real mature***


	3. Chapter 2: Guardian

**A/N: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... ;A; I should have updated sooner...forgive this no-good, low-down, dirty, filth author! *Bows* Also, mostly done because Reyser told me too... ;w; And I suddenly didn't have writers block.**

**Reviews:**

**Storyteller1990: Well...I didn't update soon. ;A; And, sorry, he'll probably be Dark Link the whole time. D: Poor guy.**

**Go1den W01f 11: Well...no. I'm not. And now my numbers are perfectly correct, hohoho.**

**Reyser: "****I will not bother pestering you to update because, well, that never works." Are you insinuating something? X) No, but sorry about the fail update schedule, I really am. ;A; I hope this placates you!**

**Ooh-! For the last section of this chapter, I suggest you listen to "Calm and Hope" from Twilight Princess. Yes. Do this.**

** o0o**

**Water's Flow**

** Chapter 2: Guardian**

"Farore." My green-garbed fellow turned from her writing-perhaps a matter that had come too suddenly for her to prepare for in any other way-to gaze at me.

"Yes...?" She inqured curiously. "Is there something you wanted, Nayru?"

"What do you intend to do about that boy? We cannot-we cannot allow him to become Ganondorf's pet," I began, feeling almost hysterical about my mistake in allowing him to come into existence.

"Nayru." She sighed and set her feathered pen upon the pristine marble desk. This done, she placed a hand on my shoulder in a consoling manner. "Calm down. Please, just forget about him. You must."

"But I cannot..."

"Listen, for your sake, you _must let him go,_" she replied, placing emphasis on each word. "He is not your responsibility."

"Oh, but Farore," I responded sadly, moving my heade from side to side. "He is. _We _willed his existence. Can you not do something? He is a part of your chosen hero..."

"No, Nayru. You know this. I must choose one or the other..." She gave me a remorseful expression. "We can do nothing."

o0o

"Dark Link, time is running low. You know this. Please return to us."

The ashy-haired teenager stopped in his tracks. "Oh, godsdammit...it's _you _again."

I narrowed my eyes. "Dark Link, you will address your goddess with the proper respect."

He laughed, short and harsh, and turned to face me. "Hah! As if. You're not as powerful as you think you are. Shouldn't you have converted me back yourself?"

"I..."

"You see, you're not omnipotent. That's why there's three of you." He smirked smugly. "You can't will me back. Stop trying."

"Dark Link, we are your creators. It is only right that-"

"_No, _you are not. You took me from my light, but you didn't shape me. You merely brought me into existence."

"If you would but-"

"_I am not your ally._ And I don't intend to become it, either." He scowled. "I'm not yours."

"Please, merely listen!" I pleaded, voice becoming desperate.

"_Nayu, stop,_" he commanded, with an air of finality and an undertone of anger. "Stop it."

I closed my mouth, and we stood in silence for a moment, the dripping sound of water falling to the bloodstained floor-the dungeon floor-filling the crevice left by our words, before the shade spoke up again.

"I'm not your puppet," he said, quietly, shaking his head. "I'm not your doll."

"Oh, Dark Link..." I murmured, stepping forward, brow furrowed in concern; a wave of compassion swept over me. "Did you truly believe that that was what this was all about?" I embraced him tightly, pulling him to my chest and placing my hands on the back of his neck and head; I could feel his hair pressed against the base of my shoulder. "You poor thing. That is not what this is about at all."

He pulled away, but not immediately, and I let hope flicker in my chest like a candle. "No," he stated, though it was less resolute. "No." With that, he began to run down the rows of cells, away from me, an action that left me very curious.

Perhaps I was gaining some ground.

o0o

He slept soundly, curled on the single bed, in the night-cast room where we had had our first official interaction; the only source of light was the soft glow that I, as a divine being, radiated.

I drifted over to his bedside, making not a sound, then placed three fingers upon his forehead lightly.

Perhaps Farore was correct. Perhaps I could do nothing for this shade, perhaps my efforts were in vain. I could not bless him; I had already entrusted the princess Zelda with my wisdom.

But I could certainly attempt to help him, could I not?

So, in the place of a piece of the Triforce, I gave him my companionship, my hopes for his future.

_I cannot free you with my will alone. I cannot save you without your consent. But I can offer you my guidance. I can offer you my friendship. I can give you light in the darkness. Know this, my shade: never shall you be alone._

o0o

**A/N: And, scene! Gosh, I really enjoyed this one, to be honest...Nayru and Dark practically wrote the chapter themselves-but gasp, Nayru is being motherly. Not loverly. I would force-feed this story fluff if I wasn't concerned with character development. X)**

**You should review, my dearies. I would love you forever.**


	4. Chapter 3: Escape

**A/N: I'm sick. Therefore, chapter. **

**Also, I have decided that this shall be a motherly story, and not a romantic one, thus voiding the whole purpose of this story (to prove to Wolf that Naylark can totally work. I…kinda succeeded? XD) Ah, well. The story wants to.**

**Reviewers:**

**ShadowNinja1011: To infinity and beyond!*Shot***

**Storyteller1990: Gah! Your review was so long and amazing and you even gave me character analyses and arggh, this is SO amazing; thank you!**

**G01den W01f 11: Glad it meets with your approval. :p**

**Reyser: Ahh, another long one! =w= Heehee. One day late ain't bad, in fact, one day at all is great. XD**

**Moon White Rose: Ooh, thank you for all the sweet words. They make my day every time I see them. ^-^**

**Well, without further ado, on to the story! *Formal conductor bow, formal curtain raise, formal everything* All I'm saying is…remember the war?**

** o0o**

** Water's Flow**

** Chapter Three: Escape**

Din surprised me.

"Why?" This was all I could ask.

She glanced over her shoulder, fingertips glowing red and orange with magic. "You wouldn't shut up about it," she said simply, smirking. "I thought I'd take care of it for you." With that, she launched her hand forward, the power taking the form of a jagged lightning bolt, which passed through the veil parting the heavens from the mortal plane to land a blow on Ganondorf's mighty castle.

"Din!" Farore, who had been observing this happening, exclaimed, shocked. "There are living beings in there."

"Yes, yes, I'm well aware of that," my red-haired fellow replied. "It will take some time to fall—maybe it won't fall at all. Ganondorf's sorcery is strong." A small grin, perhaps akin to pride, tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Certainly enough time to recover whatever it is that you need to."

o0o

"What did you do?" The specter glared at me through ashen bangs. He was curled up, hands over head, defensive—and rightly so; rubble was scattered all around. "Why?"

"That was not my doing," I attempted to explain, kneeling next to the boy. "It was Din's."

"Why?"

"There is no time to explain, Dark Link." I reached for his hand and pulled him to his feet. "It is imperative that we leave immediately."

He stood, confused. "Can't you just…I don't know…warp us out? You're a goddess, aren't you?"

"That is part of Farore's area of expertise, and, besides, is a grave infraction of the laws that I have created," I answered, already hurrying down the corridor, as fragments of the tower continued to rain down; lighting shook the structure once more. "Hurry! I do not know how much time we have…"

o0o

A few minutes later, I was cradling his head in my lap, my palms, which rested on his chest, becoming stained with red. "Dark Link…foolish boy…why did you go on ahead?"

o0o

He was stubborn, and he had broken free of my hand contact, even as he ran. "I'm not two," he had called. "I'm more than capable of handling this myself."

"Dark Link…" I had trailed off, and in my moment of hesitation he had disappeared.

Worry, guilt, and frustration filled me in equal measure. He was indeed reckless, like so many mortals—and like many mortals, he was not impervious to injury where I was. With that thought, I began to search for him, ignoring the rising sense of panic.

In this plane of being, my powers were limited; I could not track him via magic.

So I was left to search, and search I did, a steady tremolo of fear building. If I did not find him, and soon…

And there he was. Bleeding, badly. It rattled me to my deepest core.

o0o

Now, safely in the fields, bathed in the purples and reds of the setting sun, I supposed that I should have been grateful for his continued breath.

But it was difficult, fear replaced with irritation as I sat rubbing the red potion I had found in one of his satchels into the wound. "Fool…"

"Fool…?" I blinked, surprised, and glanced down, where half-lidded scarlet eyes met my own. "You were being…overprotective."

"And you were being almost imbecilic. I cannot do so much here in Hyrule," I scolded. "Had I not reached you when I did, your life would have been forfeit."

"Nah," he chuckled weakly. "I'm much stronger…than that." He glanced around at the vast expanse of flowing grass. "…We escaped."

"Indeed we did." I sighed. "For the time being, at least."

o0o

**A/N: This chapter is just… v_v *Shakes head* Ah, well, up it goes anyways.**

**You know what I think would work, just sayin'? Dark/Farore. :D**


	5. Chapter 4: New

**A/N: I know I'm late; shut up. I was at Disneyland for the past few days. Lay off. XD**

**Guess who gets a name this chapter~? Blame Storyteller1990. She so hates it when people don't give this guy a name. Anyways, it's Indian Sanskrit for "pride". It also sounds like the name Shaun/Sean/Shawn/whatever, which I dearly love. Oh, and I shamelessly stole the way in which the name is given from **_**The Midwife's Apprentice, **_**by Karen Cushman. Opps. ^^'**

**Oh, and if you hadn't noticed, I'm shamelessly curbstomping reason and canon, here. Pay no attention to my stupid explanations. ^^' **

**Reviewers:**

**Storyteller1990: I think I said what I needed to over PMs. :p**

**G01den W01f 11: Thanks. :p I tried to explain here...did a terrible job at it, too, but oh wellz. XD Anyways, this story is a part of the seven year gap in OoT, in which Zelda could have lived under a rock and the world could have exploded, just so long as everything is where it needs to be when good ol' Link comes back.**

**ShadowNinja1011: ...?**

**Moon White Rose: Gah, thankee muchos. XD**

**Dark Lord Ganondorf: Thanks. :p**

**Luna Warsong: Updated, far after the time when I could. XD Thanks.**

** o0o**

** Water's Flow**

** Chapter Four: Knowledge**

The room, a small, dingy thing, located in the rapidly deteriorating bridge next to the castle, was dim, with only a single torch flickering weakly. My creation was seated upon a long, wooden bench supported by two rusty chains; I fretted over his healing chest.

"Do be careful, Dark Link. I do not believe that the dosage of the potion was large enough."

"Yes, yes, the potion for the wounds _you _let me receive." The specter scowled.

I sighed. "Dark Link, I did not willfully do it..."

"Uh-huh. And why not, O mighty, all-powerful Goddess of Wisdom?" He rose, wincing as he felt the strain upon the half-healed injuries. "Ow. Damn. Damn."

I lifted my head, cerulean hair falling around my shoulders. "Hm...it is a story. An old one."

"Oh, how exciting. I just _love _Story Time with Wisdom Embodied." A roll of the eyes, however, he sat back down.

Choosing to ignore my companion, I began the tale. "Once, long ago, during the creation of Hyrule, we three goddesses convened, under the mutual knowledge that Farore's creations-the humans and humanoids, to be precise-were flawed."

"Oh, were they ever."

"They were-and remain still-selfish, foolish creatures, driven by desire and anger. We realized that we could not simply allow ourselves to walk among them power unchecked-they would procure a way to harness our power; for this same reason, we split the Triforce into separate parts, that no one of an unjust heart could use this for themselves.

"Therefore, we created a boundary between the motal plane and the heavens. This checks our power, our knowledge, in the earthly realm, conceals us from greedy eyes. For fear of upsetting the delicate balance of the world, we dare not break this seal-though Din may stretch it a bit." I finished with a small, amused smile at the thought of my fellow deity. "And it is for the sake of this seal that I could not come to your aid."

"Brilliant. Glad to know that the goddesses who could fix this whole mess with a passing thought are as sadistic about helping us as their children." The shadow grinned sardonically. "Well, the creation can only be as good as the creator, and vice versa, I suppose."

I clasped my hands together, held them in front of my lips, the corners of which twitched upward. "Hm. I would suppose that you would be in the right in this case. Perhaps the goddesses, too, are imperfect."

o0o

The streets of Kakariko were noisy and frantic as the two of us wended our way through them. The town was growing, truly, and the upheaval from Castle Town was doing little to slow it.

"Hey, Nayru, where are we going?" Dark Link asked as he attempted to keep pace with my march.

"Away. Away from the eyes of the public, and, if possible, away from Hyrule itself." I clasped his wrist and pulled him onward.

"...You're insane. Out of Hyrule? There's nothing beyond Hyrule!" He braced himself, refusing to go any farther.

Forced to cease my movement , I turned to face him, placing my fingers on either side of his head, probing his mind as best I could. "Be that as it may, Ganondorf and yourself share a link-"

"Very funny. Got any more?"

I exhaled slowly. "That was not intended to be humorous. As I was explaining, though, you and Ganondorf share a _bond_ of enough strength to leave a trail, as it were, for his minions to find you. If we-you; I cannot follow-can but escape Hyrule, the bond may be broken."

He raised an ash-colored eyebrow. "And you should care why? Everyone in this whole damn kingdom shares a bond with Ganondorf, whether they know it or not."

I opened my mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a large hand, coming down upon Dark Link's shoulder with tremendous force. "Shaan!" The owner of the arm, an intimidating man of muscular build, very nearly shouted. "How many times have I told you to stop slackin' off? We got people comin'! Buildings to build!"

Shaan...how interesting. A thousand schemes filled my mind-if I intended to have Dark Link escape from Hyrule, then I could not continues calling him by his true name...I hoped that the true Shaan would not mind us borrowing his name for a while.

"I'm not 'Shaan'." My creation threw off the stranger's hand. "I don't work for you."

"Eh?" The man stepped back to observe the fuming shadow. "Ah...sorry, there. You're not Shaan. Don't look much like 'im either, truth be told." He turned to me. "You'll be his mother, then."

"Oh, no." I blinked, a bit surprised. "No, we are simply traveling together for the time being."

"Ah..I see." He assumed a more relaxed postion. "Headed up Death Mountain, are you? That's where you were goin', seems." At my nod, he continued, with a warning jerk of his forefinger, "Now, that's no place for a lady like you-haven't you heard? They say a dragon's slumberin' up there. And it's about to wake up."

'We'll be fine," the specter interjected. "We don't need your advice, so if you would just fuc-"

I cuffed him instinctively, eyes wide. "Be civil! That is unacceptable!"

He frowned angrily, though not much fazed by the blow. "Yes, _mother._"

I returned the glare, then turned to the bigger man. "However, what he says is true. We are perfectly equipped to handle the danger." I gave a slight curtsy. "Good day, sir." With that, I began the trek up the mountain, my sarcastic compatriot in tow.

o0o

"This is one of our problems solved."

"How so?" The dark side's boots tilted towards the ground from his position on the tall rock he sat upon.

"We now have a name for you. Should Ganondorf's minions follow you out of Hyrule, they will be hard-pressed to find you if you have no recognizable name."

The boy pondered this for a moment. "...True."

"Very well, then." I crossed the face of the cliff, took his chin in my hand. "Shaan. Your name is Shaan."

o0o

**A/N: You have no idea how many times I mentally facedesked while writing this. This is a monstrosity in its foulest form. Forgive me. v_v It's also short. I think the A/Ns, if put together, are longer.**

**That said, I wouldn't mind ya'll telling me exactly how terrible this was. ;D **


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